Monday, November 25, 2013

In a recent post, Arkansas Patti (The New Sixty blog) used the phrase
“escaping the memory thieves.”

It created a distinctive image of her original desire to
record family stories and memories before she forgot them. Now, her reason for
blogging is more about online interaction with caring, supportive, interesting
people.

Today as I savored kind and encouraging comments from readers
on previous posts of my own, I was overwhelmed with the continuing positive
impact that online friends have made in my life.

When I started blogging in November 2009, the reason was so I
wouldn’t forget the experiences and people populating my retirement. I had
already enjoyed more than a year of that busy new stage in my life. I never
dreamed that about 17 months later my retirement landscape would undergo
cataclysmic change as the result of a major hemorrhagic stroke.

When I tentatively resumed posting after more than a month in
the hospital, I assumed the blog’s value to me was the same, an avenue to
assimilate and record the events of yet another phase of life. But a far
greater value was soon apparent.

Throughout the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual ups
and downs of my post-stroke life, blogging friends have been a constant. They
have been a source of encouragement, prayers and good wishes, good advice and
good laughs. Comforting, inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking glimpses of
other bloggers’ own mountains, valleys and deserts, seasoned with photos and chronicles
of people, places, things and experiences from their daily lives add additional dimensions of meaning to my life, whether through shared celebration
or shared sorrow.

Even a fellow blogger’s captivating turn of phrase--such as
“escaping the memory thieves,” can lift my spirits in a paroxysm of word
lover’s delight. Thank you, thank
you, my friends.

9 comments:

Thank you for the shout out. We do have to race those rascals but blogging is a helpful weapon. Your blogging goal changed in a more dramatic way than mine and I hope you know how helpful you posts are to those of us who "think" we have problems. I so admire your courage, determination, humor and I marvel at your attitude and progress. You make me try harder.

Would the quote 'strength in numbers' be appropriate. Lots of my blogging friends are all about the same age, and we are all going through this together. I think through blogging we can step back and laugh at ourselves. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

now I am wondering is she found a way to “escape the memory thieves,” if so I need to read that post. my memory is getting worse every day. i agree with you. i started my blog about the same time as you and it was a place to store my photos, and not much else. somewhere along the years it turned to much more and i agree about the ups and downs of our blog friends, they are like family. i cry when they cry and laugh when they laugh and I have watched your progress with amazement. Happy Thanksgiving

i seem to have developed the horrible habit of calling something by the wrong name. Eg picking up a pen, when it is clearly a fork! However, I did read somewhere that it helped with long term memory to learn new things or skills. Hence my interest in moocs at the moment! Blessings from Freda at Dalamory www.freda.org.uk

i seem to have developed the horrible habit of calling something by the wrong name. Eg picking up a pen, when it is clearly a fork! However, I did read somewhere that it helped with long term memory to learn new things or skills. Hence my interest in moocs at the moment! Blessings from Freda at Dalamory www.freda.org.uk

Linda, you have such a beautiful way with words.I love reading about your Life Adventures.I'm very thankful for our Blogging friendship and I really hope to one day meet you in person.Maybe at a Black Bear Diner...(:0)